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Whether you are looking to create a bigger list of prospects or generate an increase in your company sales, contests are a great catalyst to accomplishing your goals.

Contests come in many forms and can be done both online and off. The possibilities are endless. Below are just a few ideas to get you started:

Drawings – entrance requires a form to be filled out that just includes a name and email address. You can always ask for more later, but asking for alot of personal information up front will reduce your entries.

Q & A – ask a simple question that must be answered in order for an entry to qualify. Again, do not ask for more than a name and email address (and of course the answer to the question). When using Q & A online, changing the question daily will encourage people to come back. They return daily to have another entry in the contest, but they will also return for the question!

Trivia – this type of question requires more thought. You may ask something related to your business. This may reduce the number of entries you receive compared to a simple drawing and because the answer is specific to your business, it may discourage some. You can, however, choose to be more general in your question.

Scavenger Hunt – hide graphics or a specific word on different pages within your website. Provide clues from one item to the next. Don’t make them too hard or people will give up. If you provide good clues people will be able to keep moving all around your site to find them all. You can make things even more interesting by placing a letter on each graphic and requiring that the contestant unscramble the letters to form a word.

Running a contest can be a great traffic booster, a way to grow your subscriber base and can also increase sales. Once you have decided which type of contest your are going to run and have put all the details together, be sure to get the the word out to your customers and prospects and through social media. And don’t forget to publicize the winner once the contest is over. You will surely be happy with the results you receive.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally

Although it might sound funny to some, the time to start planning for the holidays is now – especially where business is concerned. Most companies start putting together their holiday budget in the 3rd Quarter. Although it has nothing to do with the “Christmas in July” phrase, I have always found it quite timely.

Now is the time to start thinking about what message you want to send your clients, your employees, your vendors, etc. Do you want to say “Thank You!” amidst the Thanksgiving holiday or during the Christmas season. A great way to separate your business from all the others is to send a “Thanks for your business this past year” gift a bit early, before it has the chance of being lost in the rush of the other holiday gifts your clients will be receiving. Or plan a special beginning of the year gift giving with a special message letting your customers know you look forward to working with them in the coming year.

Which ever you decide, do something. Do something special, plan ahead and put some thought into it. Don’t wait until the last minute. Your advanced planning will pay off in several ways -early planning means less stress during the holidays, better selection and more time to come up with some great ideas, and better pricing. Best of all, your business associates and clients will notice your extra efforts and that can make a huge difference.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally

There is no better time than the present to do the things you need to do to set your business apart from the rest. The companies that are willing to do something that other companies aren’t will reap the rewards.

The last couple years have definitely been challenging for most, however many have actually thrived. The biggest reason for this is that they kept their foot on the gas. They didn’t let the economy dictate how their business was going to do or whether or not it was going to survive. While some companies chose to cut their marketing budgets or slash their prices (or maybe even both), other companies kept doing as they always did. At first thought, you might think that lowering prices would bring in more business – think again… Often lowering your prices will cause your potential clients to devalue what you are offering. In tough economic time, discount marketing can actually backfire. And the last thing you want to do in a time like this is reduce your marketing budget.

We are all very aware that many businesses that existed several years ago are no longer around. It’s a sad fact. If you are using financial hard times as an excuse to reduce or eliminate your marketing there is a good chance your customers and potential clients will think you have gone by the wayside. It is, however, a great time to evaluate what you are doing to market your business. Make sure you are utilizing that marketing budget and doing the things that will remind people you are still here. Build those vital relationships. Keep moving forward. Stay the course. And stay in front of your customers minds… that way you can be confident that when your products and/or services are needed, they will come to you.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally

If you have ever thought that you need to impress a client or ‘WoW’ a new prospect, you are not alone. Many businesses look for opportunities to do just that. However, be cautious -you don’t want to come across as flashy or look as though you are intentionally trying to buy their business.

Try to think of when you first started dating someone new. Your first token gift was not a wedding ring while on bended knee. That would be just ridiculous. You have to take it slow. You need to build the relationship first. Wooing a new client is very similar.

Start with small, thoughtful gestures -a phone call or a note in the mail. Granted the flashy and often more expensive business gifts will get their attention, but some people can be put off by this style of giving. Others will love receiving the lavish gift and at the same time will be leery and wonder what the catch is.

Another great reason to resist the temptation to go overboard is that by sending little token gifts you can do so more often. Instead of sending one larger business gift, send a series of smaller gifts, greeting cards, etc. Put a process in place or implement a program that keeps you on budget and make it a point to stretch out a bit instead of doing it all in one fell swoop. You will make an impact and leave a lasting impression.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally

Consumer opinion is vital for any company. Whether you are launching a new service or product line, it’s important to know how your clients and prospective customers will react. However, it can be difficult to get people to spend time taking a survey. When you need the feedback and timing is of the essence, sometimes using an incentive is just the thing you need to add extra mileage to a survey campaign.

There are several way to put this type of program in place. The determining factor for which you choose should be determined by your business and how it operates. Obviously, the best would have an end result of the customer walking in to your location to claim their reward. This gives you an opportunity to “WoW” them and offer that personal interaction that is so important to have between the customer and your staff. Personal interaction plays a big part in helping to build a quality relationship. Another great way is to provide a ‘code’ that could be redeemed on your website once the survey information has been submitted. This is a great way to drive traffic and give your customer another chance to browse your offerings.

The number of ideas that could be outlined here are only limited by your creativity. Likewise, the types of rewards offered for completing the survey are unlimited. They need to be quality, yet should not be too expensive. Remember, a very successful survey with a lot of responses could get very costly very fast. However, the information you will gain is invaluable!
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally

It doesn’t have to be a special occasion to show appreciation for your loyal customers.  Loyalty programs can be used year round for clients and business partners as well.  A properly implemented customer loyalty program can work well for all kinds of businesses, from retail stores to personal trainers.

There are several reasons you want to implement a loyalty program in your business:

• To thank existing customers
• To reward for referrals
• To acknowledge a large or significant purchase

The list could go on.  The most effective programs offer graduated rewards – the more a customer spends, the more they earn.  This rewards your best, most profitable clients or customers for their continued patronage.

Receiving a gift makes your customer feel good about your company, especially if they see the gift as something of value or something that is useful to them.  Thanking people with a gift for being your customer gives them a sense of loyalty to you and every time they use that gift it will help to solidify that relationship.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.

Contact Sally